Chickenpox spreads beyond Waldorf School
Southern Belles: Ban from parade?
See STORY, Pg. A4
— See STORY, Pg. B1
March co-leader to give speech on MLK — See STORY, Pg. B1
Tamika Mallory
LLE I V HE AS ASHEVILLEʼS GREATEST NEWSPAPER
January 2019 Vol. 15, No. 02
An Independent Newspaper Serving Greater Asheville www.ashevilledailyplanet.com FREE
DOT’s I-26 Connector plan sparks mixed reply
From Staff Reports A public hearing on the proposed I-26 Connector project that would cross West Asheville prompted hours of comments from often-emotional speakers expressing a mixed bag of views — with a number in opposition (or at least requesting a delay), differing sharply with others saying it is much-needed, has been delayed by opponents for decades and needs to finally get the green light — on Dec. 4 at downtown’s Renaissance Asheville Hotel. The hearing, hosted by the North Carolina Department of Transportation, could constitute one of the project’s final steps toward construction. NCDOT has been considering the project since at least 1989. In the meantime, business groups, elected officials and others also have weighed in on the plan. A standing-room-only crowd of between 400 and 500 participants attended. A drop-in session session was held earlier. NCDOT is expecting crews to begin construction on the $950 million project in 2020. Federal funding will cover 80 percent of the cost, with the state paying the other 20 percent. The project has been separated into three sections by planners as follows: • Section C, the southernmost portion, would reconstruct the existing interchange where I-40 and I-26/I-240 intersect. New circular ramps would allow traffic to easily transition between highways. The plan also would widen I-40 from a point near the Smokey Park Highway interchange to the Brevard Road interchange. • Section A, the middle part of the project, would widen I26/I-240 from four to six lanes and establish a greater degree of separation between Amboy Road and the interstate. An upgraded Amboy Road interchange would include two roundabouts to the north and south, connected by a stretch of road that would run under the interstate. Extensions to the north and south would connect the Amboy Road roundabouts to Brevard Road. These extensions would run parallel to I-26/I-240. • Section B, which would have the most impact on downtown Asheville and would establish Patton Avenue as a local boulevard rather than part of I-240 and future I-26. See CONNECTOR Page A14
Blizzard? Christmas Jam unfazed, rocks on
The 30th annual Warren Haynes Christmas Jam, a charity event that was expanded to two nights (Dec. 7-8) this year, was held despite a major, travel-disrupting storm that unleashed snow and ice in the area. The sold-out concert, featuring a weekend of musical holiday spirit and cheer, is held each year to raise money for Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity at the U.S. Cellular Center
Special photos by Scarlet Bucket
in Haynes’ hometown of Asheville. Among those performing at the show were (clockwise from top left) the XJ Band, Warren Haynes, Marco Benevento, Grace Potter and Dave Grohl. Curated and presented by Haynes, a Grammy Award-winning vocalist-songwriter and revered guitarist, the Christmas Jam is described by Wikipedia “as a one-of-a-kind music marathon.”
Things that go bump in the knight Q: I’m confused. Does treating women as equals mean not doing those things that would previously have been considered chivalrous, like opening doors and giving a woman your coat? What’s now considered polite, and what’s considered offensive? — Bewildered
Want to know the answer? See ADVICE GODDESS, Page A8
The Advice Goddess Amy Alkon
Efforts to boost affordable housing outlined
By JOHN NORTH
john@AshevilleDailyPlanet.com
Vice Mayor Gwen Wisler
The Council of Independent Business Owners heard a panel presentation titled “Affordable Housing: Issues and Solutions” on Dec. 6 in UNC Asheville’s Sherrill Center. Specifically, the panel was asked by CIBO to address: “What development issues hinder the affordable housing ... and what is the City of Asheville
and Buncombe County planning to do to help?” About 40 people attended.the early-morning breakfast meeting, including CIBO members, government officials and others. Asheville Vice Mayor Gwen Wisler led the panel, which also included Buncombe County Commissioner Joe Belcher, Kirk Booth of Kirk Booth Real Estate and Bill Oglesby, a board member of the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency. Wisler began the presentation by outlining “some
of the tools the city is using to get more affordable housing in the city.” Wisler noted, “When we talk to our citizens in surveys, the lack of affordable housing ranks at the top, or near the top, in concern “The city gets involved with HUD. We have a land use incentive plan where we will forgive property taxes for a period of time, if the project meets certain criteria” pertaining to affordable housing. See AFFORDABLE HOUSING, Page A7
A2 - January 2019 - Asheville Daily Planet
N.C. official challenges Mission sale plan
From Staff Reports North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein told Asheville’s WLOS-TV News 13 in early December that he wants additional protections for rural Western North Carolina hospitals and their services — to ensure the interests of area residents are protected. — before he signs off on the HCA Healthcare deal to buy Mission Hospital for $1.5 billion. “There has been an outpouring of communication from people,” Stein told News 13 in a Dec. 5 report. “This is our office’s top priority.” At that time, News 13 noted that Stein said he has no deadline since he is still asking for information on the deal. “Once he has what he wants,” News 13 reported, “Stein said the Josh Stein clock ticks on a 60-day review he has before deciding whether to approve or contest the sale. Stein said HCA and Mission have provided requested information so far.” Stein told reporters, “This is one of the biggest conversions of a nonprofit in the state’s history. It is so complicated, and I’m going to take whatever time is necessary to protect the
people of Western North Carolina.” News 13 also reported, “Stein has hired Stout, a consulting agency out of Chicago, to do an independent valuation of the proposed sale price.” Regarding Stout, Stein said, “They report to us. They’re contracted by us. They work for me. They’re finishing up their assessment, so we hope to get their report any day now.” The attorney general noted to News 13 that his chief objective is to convince HCA to extend the current five-year protection for rural hospital services. The TV station quoted Stein as saying, “There needs to be greater certainty in terms of what HCA’s commitments are in terms of what services they’ll provide and how long they’re committed to keeping open the rural hospitals. That is what I’m fighting hard to do.” Stein also told News 13 that wants more diversity on the Dogwood Trust
SBI seeks culprit(s) after ruling that arson caused fire totaling shop owned by sheriff’s candidate
From Staff Reports
WEAVERVILLE — The N.C. State Bureau of Investigation on Nov. 30 announced that it has ruled — as arson — a fire that burned down the Weaverville business of then-Buncombe County sheriff candidate Shad Higgins. The SBI statement said the fire at Weaverville Tire and Wheel was “an intentional act and criminal in nature,” according to WLOS-TV’s News 13. The press release also noted that “the cause of the fire was determined by fire investigators to be incendiary (an intentional act and criminal in nature).” The fire was reported at the tire company, owned by Higgins, a Republican candidate, at 4:45 a.m. Oct. 26 — less than two weeks before Election Day. Local agencies asked the SBI to take the lead in the investigation, based on the nature of the blaze and its timing related to the election. Shad Higgins The SBI is asking for help from anyone with more information about the fire, or witnesses who may have seen someone at or vehicles or pedestrians near the business at 176 Old Mars Hill Highway between 2-4:45 a.m. Oct. 26, according to the release. Those with information should call (828) 330-4556 and leave a message. The SBI provided no further details. No one was injured in the fire, but the business appeared to be a total loss. “It’s all gone; everything is gone,” Kenny Murray, manager of the tire shop, told reporters the morning after the fire. A GoFundMe campaign launched after the blaze has raised nearly $13,000 to date. Higgins’ business reopened in a temporary location just four days after the fire. By a landslide margin, Democrat Quentin Miller went on to win the sheriff’s race.
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Board, responsible with eventually overseeing a huge trust fund that will be given to health programs and services. To that end, on Dec. 5, Mission announced it added two women to the board, a banker from Henderson County and a teacher from Buncombe County. Meanwhile, the Asheville Citizen Times reported Dec. 4 that Stein had listed three major
concerts in the Mission sale, including: • “Are the provisions to ensure continuation of specific health care services at Mission Hospital and the five rural hospitals in the system strong enough? • “Is the roughly $1.5 billion HCA proposes to pay enough? • “Will the board of the foundation to get money from a sale be diverse and truly representative of WNC?”
Asheville Daily Planet — January 2019 — A3
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A4 — January 2019 - Asheville Daily Planet
Alamo Drafthouse to join in AVL Mall redevelopment
From Staff Reports
A proposed redevelopment project at the Asheville Mall with “food, beer and films are now all planned for the old Sears and auto center location with an Alamo Drafthouse Cinema,” Asheville’s WLOS-TV News 13 reported on Dec. 18. “News 13 found out about the new development through a new earnings report,” WLOS reported. “The restaurant, bar and movie theater would be a portion of the proposed re-development there. “Plans also call for a 204-unit apartment complex, restaurants and retail space.” However, the project would require approval by Asheville City Council. “We called the developer and Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, but haven’t heard back as of news time,” News 13 said of the Texas-based theater chain. Also on Dec. 18, the Asheville Citizen Times reported that Alamo Drafthouse Cinema will “join the Asheville Mall as part of an estimated $45 million redevelopment project to modernize the facility with restaurants and high-density residential housing, its developer said in a recent earnings report.” In the report cited by the ACT, developer Seritage Growth Properties said Alamo will be in the space formerly occupied by
a Sears store and auto center, which closed in July. Seritage stated that Alamo “would join the mall amid the New York-based developer’s major reimagining of the property that is planned to include new retail stores, restaurants and 204 multifamily housing units in addition to the 10-screen multiplex movie theater,” the Citizen Times noted. Asked by the ACT about its inclusion in the Seritage report on Dec. 18, an Alamo spokesperson told the newspaper that the company has “no information to share at this time.” The Citizen Times noted that that Alamo also declined comment last year “when a now-deleted plan was posted on the mall’s ownership group’s website showing the theater chain as a future tenant. “If it comes to fruition, it would be Alamo’s second North Carolina location after opening its first last year in Raleigh. “Alamo has nearly 50 theaters operating or in development in Texas, New York, Virginia, Arizona and Nebraska, among others, its website shows. Asheville is not among the locations listed on its website,” the Citizen Times reported.
Van Duyn announces candidacy for state lieutenant governor post
From Staff Reports Terry Van Duyn, a Democratic state senator from Buncombe County, will run for the state’s second highest office in 2020. Van Duyn, who serves as the minority whip in Raleigh, announced her candidacy n a social media post on the morning of Dec. 10. In her announcement, she said, “Today, I’m announcing my candidacy for lieutenant governor, where I will work closely with Governor (Roy) Cooper to advance our investment in public education, to increase access to affordable health care, and to fight for clean air and drinking water. “It is time for Governor Cooper to have a strong partner and ally, and I am excited about the opportunity to Terry Van Duyn continue our proven partnership.” Republican Dan Forest, who was elected lieutenant governor in 2013, is expected to run for governor in 2020. Van Duyn was appointed to the 49th District seat in 2014, after the death of Sen. Martin L. Nesbitt, and was elected to the seat in November that year. In a phone interview, Van Duyn said she will continue to serve as a senator, but will resign as minority whip. “I have a responsibility to the people who elected me, and if at any point I don’t
think I can do both well I will resign,” Van Duyn said of her role as a senator. “I am going to step down as the minority whip, so I can focus on the election to lieutenant governor.”
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Chickenpox outbreak spreads in Asheville, outside of school
From Staff Reports
The Buncombe County Health Department in late November reported that an outbreak of chickenpox discovered in October is spreading in Asheville. Specifically, the report states that 37 students and four additional people are sick, raising the total to 41 people infected. “The school with the outbreak is Asheville Waldorf School, where administrators have not commented on the cases,” WLOS News 13 reported on Nov. 30. On the same story, the Asheville Citizen Times noted that the case now ranks as the largest outbreak of chickenpox in North Caro-
lina since the vaccine was introduced in 1995. The Citizen Times also reported that “Buncombe County Health Department spokeswoman Stacey Wood says the most recent onset of rash was Monday (Nov. 26). She wouldn’t say whether the four cases outside the school were in parents or friends of sickened students. “More than 100 of the school’s 152 students were unvaccinated and thus quarantined for three weeks. A judge struck down a portion of the quarantine order, ruling the county had the authority to keep children out of school but couldn’t prevent them from leaving home,” the Citizen Times noted.
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Asheville Daily Planet — January 2019 - A5
Who knows Islamic terrorism best?
Chris Gaubatz? Author of “Muslim Mafia”
The Ashevlle Tea Party/ATPAC will host Chris Gaubatz, the author of “Muslim Mafia,” who was the lead undercover researcher in one of the most successful post-9/11 undercover operations in the United States. Gaubatz posed as a Muslim convert and gained access to the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas-backed organization leadership meetings.
Two Local Programs:
• In Buncombe County: Tues., Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. at Skyland Fire Department, 9 Miller Road, Skyland, NC. 28776
• In Henderson County: Wed., Feb. 13 at 1 p.m.
at the Operations Center, 305 Williams St., Hendersonville, N.C. 28792
Presentation followed by Q & A and book-signing Seating is limited. Tickets are $5.00. You must have a ticket. Buncombe/Henderson tickets online at AshevilleTeaPac/Donate OnlineTickets are $5.00 + $.75 handling. (Fill in your venue.)
or
Purchase Tickets at Tea Time, the Gun Show January 5 & 6, 2019, or send check to ATPAC, c/o J. Bilello, 218 Vincent Place, Hendersonville, NC 28739. Include your name, address, phone, email, employer/or retired and venue of choice. We will contact you with a receipt. (No handling fee.)
Bio of Mr. Chris Gaubatz
Mr. Chris Gaubatz is a national security consultant, speaker, and conservative political activist. Gaubatz trains law enforcement on the severity and dangers of the jihadi network in the U.S., detailing the strategies and modus operandi of the jihadis while providing specific investigative guidance by showing them how to locate and prosecute terrorists, and working with citizens, legislators, and leaders at the state and local level to create strategies to expose and dismantle these networks. Gaubatz has testified before the United States Sen-
ate on issues relating to the consequences of agency efforts to de-emphasize radical Islam in combating terrorism. Transcripts from his Congressional testimony can be found at: https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/ download/06-28-16-gaubatz-testimony As the lead undercover researcher in one of the most successful post-9/11 undercover operations in the United States, Gaubatz posed as a Muslim convert and gained access to Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas-backed organization leadership meetings. While undercover, he preserved more than 12,000 pages of evidence and 300 hours of covert audio/video record-
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ings from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) headquarters, revealing clear patterns of fraud, sedition, and terrorism. This undercover operation is the feature of Muslim Mafia, a book authored by investigative journalist Paul Sperry and Dave Gaubatz, Chris’ father, a career federal counter-intelligence agent and first civilian US federal agent to enter Iraq in 2003. Gaubatz has been featured on numerous global media networks, national television shows and radio programs, including The Sean Hannity Show, Tipping Point with Liz Wheeler, The Savage Nation, Breitbart News Daily and Louder with Crowder.
A6- January 2019 - Asheville Daily Planet
Asheville to appeal hotel plan to N.C. Supreme Court From Staff Reports
The City of Asheville on Nov. 28 announced its plans to appeal a decision by the state’s second-highest court earlier in November that ruled in favor of developers who want to build a 185-room Embassy Suites downtown despite opposition from city government. Mayor Esther Manheimer said in a Nov. 28 email that the city will appeal the ruling of the three-judge N.C. Court of Appeals to the state Supreme Court, the Asheville Citizen Times reported. On Nov. 6, the lower court ruled that Parks Hospitality Group of Raleigh is entitled to a conditional use permit for its planned hotel project at 192 Haywood St. The
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site is that of the former Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office, “The City Council voted down the project in January 2017, citing concerns related to parking, traffic and a high concentration of hotels near the proposed site. That includes another PHG hotel, the $14 million Hyatt Place completed in March 2016,” the ACT reported. Meanwhile, developer Shaunak Patel told the ACT that PHG “began demolition on the former sheriff’s office Wednesday (Nov. 28), a process he expects will take about 60 days.” Further, Patel told the Citizen TImes that the city is causing “more damages to us” by again appealing the court’s ruling, but that the development group is “100 percent confident” the case will not make it to the state’s Supreme Court
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Asheville Daily Planet — January 2019 - A7
Buncombe scam update? Got $2.1M, need $900K more to ‘make us whole’ From Staff Reports
Mike Fryar
Buncombe County Commissioner Mike Fryar gave a “State of the Buncombe County Legal Update,” noting that much progress has been achieved in collecting taxpayer money lost in an alleged scam involving former county officials. His two-minute report was given during the Dec. 6 early-morning meeting of the Council of
Independence Business Owners in UNC Asheville’s Sherrill Center. “I think I’m here to talk about Wanda Greene, Mandy Stone, Jon Creighton — all of the people we’re suing,” Fryar said. (Greene and Stone are former county managers and Creighton is a former assistant county manager). “We got $2.1 millon back” to date, Fryar con-
tinued. Of that amount, “we got the $40,000 back from Michael Greene,” a former county employee who is the son of Wanda Greene. “Hopefully, we’ll come out pretty whole in this. We’ve got $2.1 million — and $3 million will make us whole,” meaning completely reimbursed. And, atypically for CIBO meetings, no questionand-answer session followed Fryar’s talk.
Affordable housing Continued from Page A1 Wisler added, “We also have density bonuses if a person has a certain level of affordable housing. “And most recently in our bond program, the voters agreed to a $25 million part of the bond that will go toward affordable housing — $15 million for the city initiative and the other $10 million in miscellaneous ways. In addressing the county’s perspective, Comissioner Joe Belcher said that, “most of the time, when you talk about affordable housing in Buncombe County, you’re talking about rental housing. For those who want a quality home, we have to open the doors to all new construction.... Further, he triggered laughter from the meeting attendees when he asserted, “Everyone’s talking about tiny homes, but they’re just a little single-wide.” Belcher said he has particular insight on this issue because he is retired from a career in the manufactured home industry. “I have my theory about apartments today — the apartments of today are the manufactured homes of the 1980s.” He added, “We’re allowing factory-built, multi-section (two or three parts) in R1 and R2 (zoned) areas. “After about four weeks, people ran out of the ugly things they could say about manufactured housing. That has to stop.” Belcher then asked, “If you build a 1,500-square-foot stick-built home — how much waste goes into the landfill? Dumpster loads.” What’s more, he pointed out, “If you put in a 1,500-square-foot manufactured home,” the waste averages “two trashcan loads of trash. “You see the little ranch-size homes — it’s nothing to panic over. We can’t be hypocritcal when we talk about affordable housing. We need to talk about all types of housing…. “We’re just trying to move (affordable housing options in) Buncombe Counrty (to be) just like everywhere else. Most states are opening their doors. Belcher stressed, “If I were to set out a stick-built versus a manufactured home sideby-side, you’d have a hard time telling the difference,” given the latest improvements in manufactured housing technology. “The tests of the new construction of manufactured home is amazing. They can tie them down and they can withstand 130 mileper-hour-plus winds — and that’s amazing. “What’s happened in Buncombe County — places like Swannanoa, Leicester, South Asheville — we’ve had people coming in and asking to put in a new construction, multisection home on their parents’ property. They would come and try to get permits. They’d be told they couldn’t put a manufactured home there. “The only thing that family has is land — and they come to get a permit... They’re told, ‘We’re not going to allow you to have the house you can afford’ on that property. “They leave Buncombe County. They go to South Carolina or East Tennessee, where that’s allowed.
“You drive poor people out when you limit housing,” Belcher said. The next panelist, developer Kirk Booth, began by noting that “the rents dictate the project.” He added, “In Buncombe County now, you’ve pretty much got to have a large multistory” proposal to have a chance for approval. “These are some of the quick reasons every developer wouldn’t want to do affordable housing. The tools of the city and county are there, it just depends on whether the developer can make it work (profit-wise). “There are a lot of tax credits out there. There is a lot of money out there. … So it’s not quite as easy as it appears…. There’s no silver bullet…. The only other way that I’ve made it work is through modular housing. They will build it, ship it and put it together. Everyone’s looking on what’s the return on their money,” Booth said. The fourth panelist, Bill Oglesby, board member of North Carolina Housing Finance Agency, said that, “in recent years, we’ve financed 269,000 homes and apartments throughout the state. … These housing options help attract and retain employees for local businesses. Oglesby said his agency has assisted homeowners in the purchase of about 2,200 houses in Buncombe and Asheville... “You may be acquainted with Carney Place in West Asheville…. “Swannanoa has just been awarded a project — and that was Mountain Housing Opportunities (agency) that got that going. “At Gerber Park, 130 energy-effiicient apartments were added in South Asheville for seniors in Buncombe County. It’s part of an effort that provides 2,900 affordable houses for seniors in Buncombe County. “We don’t just get people in affordable housing. Our work focuses on keeping people in there. In 2008, we launched the foreclosure prevention fund. This saved 28,000 North Carolinans, preservring $96 million in property values. So if you keep someone in their home, it’s good for everyone.” Further, Oglesby said, “Our agency is designed to help a multitude of folks — developers, residents …. The process can be lengthy (as he said), but the money is there. During a question-and-answer session that followed, a man asked, “What is the rate that HUD allows for housing, under their affordable guidelines?” “It’s on the city’s website and it’s all defined by the area median income,” Wisler replied. “It’s all based on 30 percent of your income being spent on rent and utilities. Booth added, “I don’t think a two-bedroom (rental unit) is at $1,000 yet, but it’s close.” To another question, Wisler answered, “Unfortunately, not many people have used the land-use incentive grants. We continue to tweak it to try to find the best mix for what the developer and the city are willing to fund. Not many people have used it yet.” Adding to Wisler’s answer, Booth said, that, as a developer, “there are a lot of boxes there that have to be checked before you
Joe Belcher Kirk Booth can get started.” A man asked about housing on Hilliard and Clingman avenues— a developer decided he couldn’t make it work, so he converted it to condominiums.” “That was one of the frist that the city tried to work with the developer to hit his needed return while also trying to meet the city’s affordable housing goals,” Wisler answered. “At this point, that will be condominiums, but it also is affordable. As the ownership changes hands over a 50-year period of time, it’s affordablity (will continue)…. It will be a Habitat for Humanity model... What you’re trying to do is maintain the property afforable over a 50-year period of time. It has been tentatively approved to keep the affodability for 50 years.” A man asked, “I’d just like to bring up property destruction… Any comments about building these affordable home and they’re not taken care of? “I think it all has to do with management,” Booth replied succinctly. “Some tenants have case managers who check on the units…. If you (as the property owner-manager) never see it, never look at it,” bad things can and
Bill Oglesby
will happen. “The people who are not getting assistance will tear up your property just as much as those who do” not receive assistance, he said. Belcher added, “People (from all social classes) want a nice home — and they want to take care of their home. But they’ve got to be able to keep up their home” and, sometimes, they have no budget for maintenance and repairs. He then said that “the payment (on rent or a mortgage for affordable housing) has to include a provision for ‘surprises’ (unexpected emergencies) in maintenance.” In responding to another question, Booth said that in one of his projects built on a geographically challenging site in Asheville, “there are seven buildings in a flood plain on stilts. “If you could imagine a condo building at the beach, that’s this one. We’re parking underneath the units… There are other factors that really hurt us. We had to put in a sidewalk on a street that doesn’t even drain water. ... We’re rubbing up against big expenses. See AFFORDABLE HOUSING, Page A9
A8 — January 2019 - Asheville Daily Planet
Advice Goddess
Continued from Page A1 A: The response by some women these days to men’s well-intentioned acts must tempt at least a few men to swing entirely in the other direction: “Let’s see ...I could open the car door for my date — or start to drive off and let her throw herself across the hood and hang on.” To these women, chivalry is “benevolent sexism,” affectionate but patronizing sexism — a way of treating women that suggests they are in need of men’s help and protection. It involves things like opening doors and offering to carry a heavy item for a female colleague and being the one who runs for the car in a downpour — instead of handing the girlfriend the keys and announcing, “I’ll just wait here under the awning!” Research has found that benevolent sexism can be undermining to women -- even leading them to feel less competent at their job. However, complicating things a bit, new research by social psychologists Pelin Gul and Tom R. Kupfer finds that women — including women with strong feminist beliefs — are attracted to men with benevolently sexist attitudes and behaviors despite (!) finding these men “patronizing and undermining.” The researchers theorize that what women are actually attracted to is the underlying signal of benevolently sexist behavior — that “a man is willing to invest” (in them and any children they might have together). Frankly, even I engage in benevolent, uh, something or other -- like by holding the door open for any person, male or female, coming up to an entrance behind me — simply because it’s nice for one human to look out for another. Or, as my mother would put it, it’s genteel. Ultimately, your best bet is behaving as genteelly as you would if you had no idea about benevolent sexism. Most women will probably appreciate it — even if a few of them say “Thank you ... that’s very nice of you!” in language more along the lines of “Screw off, you medieval cretin!”
Her Beta half
Q: In a documentary on Lady Gaga, she talked about how whenever she reached a new pinnacle of success, her boyfriend or fiance left her. It happened three times. My most recent boyfriend couldn’t handle it when I started to become successful. Are my options to be successful and alone or unsuccessful and loved? How do I find someone who won’t feel threatened? — Disturbed It’s often hard for a man who’s achieved less than the woman he’s with. She introduces him with “Meet my boyfriend...” and he imagines everybody finishing her thought with “... the man whose job it is to eat treats out of my hand like a squirrel.” Wave hello to “precarious manhood,” a term coined by psychologists Jennifer Bosson and Joseph Vandello for how a man’s social status must be continually earned and “can be lost relatively easily” through public failures and the exposure of his shortcomings. We rack up our social standing in comparison with others. So, not surprisingly -- in line with research I recently cited about men’s freakouts when they were told a woman beat them in every category on an exam — Bosson and Vandello write that “feelings of masculinity can be undone” by “being outperformed by a woman.” The reality is, the world is not our dat-
ing oyster. (Atheists have to take a pass on the hot churchgoers. The teetotalers go poorly with the “social crack smokers.”) Accept that success narrows your options, and concentrate on meeting men in places the honchos (or at least the highly successful) hang out. (Price points — like costly admission to a charity event — are one way to weed out many of those of middling achievement.) Narrowing the field this way should make you less likely to hear dismaying parting words from a man — those that basically translate to “I have mad respect for your success. My penis, unfortunately, has some ambivalence.“
Girls just wanna have funding?
I’m a 34-year-old man, newly single after a relationship that started in college. Though I love the work I do running a small nonprofit, I don’t make tons of money. I’m worried that my inability to “provide” in any sort of lavish way will make it hard for me to attract post-college women. Do I need to win the lottery? — Making A Difference It is best if the dream date you’re proposing isn’t all in the presentation: “We have reservations tonight at a cozy new hot spot — my studio apartment with the heat that won’t shut off. Dress tropical!” I do often write about how women evolved to prefer male partners with high status— men with the ability to “provide” (like by being a hotshot spearmeister who regularly brings home the bison, earning others’ respect and loyalty). However, what’s important to note — and what has some bearing on your chances with the ladies — is that ancestral humans lacked anything resembling “wealth” (portable, conservable assets). Though no modern woman wants a man who lives paycheck advance to paycheck advance, there’s hope for you — from research on one of the few cultures today in which men aren’t the primary earners. Political scientist Nechumi Yaffe looked at ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel — a community in which the men spend all day hunched over studying the Torah and the women are the breadwinners. Yaffe finds that, as in other cultures, the men the ultra-Orthodox women prefer as mates are those who are the best in their “field” — which, in this community, comes out of the level of “religious devotion and piety” the men show. In other words, though men’s status is a vital mating asset across cultures, “how status is achieved may be culturally specific.” As for you, I’m guessing you don’t work at a nonprofit because you hit your head and forgot to become a cold corporate tool. You’re surely part of a community that shares your beliefs about the importance of making a difference. Chances are, many of the women in your world don’t want some money-worshipping hedge fund buttknuckle. In other words, to ramp up your status, you need to stand out as a top do-gooder — like by coming up with and implementing innovative ideas to ease people’s suffering and make the world a better place. This should make you extremely attractive to a woman with similar values — the sort who spends time every week beautifying the planet ... and not because picking up trash along the highway is a condition of her probation for her DUI. • (c.) 2018, Amy Alkon, all rights reserved. Got a problem? Write Amy Alkon, 171 Pier Ave, #280, Santa Monica, CA 90405, or e-mail AdviceAmy@aol. com (advicegoddess.com). Weekly radio show: blogtalkradio.com/amyalkon
Faith Notes Send us your faith notes
Please submit items to the Faith Notes by noon on the third Wednesday of each month, via email, at spirituality@ashevilledailyplanet.com, or fax to 252-6567, or mail c/o The Daily Planet, P.O. Box 8490, Asheville, N.C. 28814-8490. Submissions will be accepted and printed at the discretion of the editor, space permitting. To place an ad for a faith event, call 252-6565.
Wednesday, Jan. 9
“SCREENS” PROGRAM, 6:30 p.m., Brookstone Church, 90 Griffee Road, Weaverville. A program titled “Screens: Navigating Life in the Digital Age” will be presented. Regarding the program and what has prompted it, discipleship and lifegroup Pastor Scott Moody noted, “On January 9th, 2007, Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone to the world. I think you would agree that EVERYTHING changed at that moment. Our world is in the midst of the digital revolution. In the scope of history, there have been a few of these ‘seams of history’ moments Pastor Scott Moody when change happens so rapidly and expansively that it’s hard to even fathom the impact. I believe we are living in one of those ‘seams’ of history. Whether you call it the ‘digital revolution,’ the ‘age of information’ or something similar, there is no doubt that what our world has experienced since that 2007 announcement is truly historical. Just as the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century brought about significant cultural shifts, such as a massive migration from rural settings to urban centers, in the same way this digital revolution is bringing about rapid change. It’s easy to get overwhelmed or caught up in the strong current of this digital revolution. Sometimes we just want to avoid it — other times we may just decide to fully embrace the ride and not consider where it’s going to take us. Either way, wisdom would compel us to consider how to navigate life in the digital world. Jobs are
changing, parenting is different, growing up as a child in this world looks nothing like a generation ago. It’s the air we breathe today, so we need to adjust and regain our bearings. What steps can we take to be ‘intentional’ in all of life in this new digital world? Please make plans to join us on the evening of January 9th as we explore together the topics of screens, technology, social media and much more. This night will include relevant topics for all ages, so please bring the whole family.” To register, visit brookstonechurch.org/ screens.
Friday, Jan. 11
SOCIAL JUSTICE MOVIE NIGHT, 7-9 p.m., 1 Sandburg Hall, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville, 1 Edwin Place, Asheville. The UUCA will screen a yet-to-be-announced film. After the screening, a discussion will be held. All are welcome and admission is free.
Sunday, Jan. 20
ETHICAL SOCIETY PROGRAM, 2-3:30 p.m., Friends Meeting House, 227 Edgewood Road, Asheville. An address titled “A Freethinker’s Gospel” will be presented by Chris Highland to the Ethical Humanist Society of Asheville. Highland, a writer and teacher, will be reading and discussing his new book, “A Freethinker’s Gospel.” The EHSA noted that “it may be a strange and startling title, but the theme of building bridges between people with or without faith permeates the collection of essays. Chris will explore his journey from faith to freethinking and how positive, constructive, inviting and liberating that journey has been. He will also offer his vision for a natural, humanistic way forward based on cooperation and collaboration between believers and nonbelievers. Highland, the author of a dozen books, writes the weekly “Highland Views” columns for the Asheville Citizen Times. As a former minister and interfaith chaplain, he is now a freethinking humanist celebrant teaching courses on free-thought at UNC Asheville’s OLLI Center and at Blue Ridge Community College in East Flat Rock. His wife Carol is a Presbyterian minister, certified enneagram teacher and former director of the Marin Interfaith Council. They live in Asheville. Following Highland’s presentation, an informal discussion will be held, capped by refreshments. All are welcome to attend. Admission is free.
The antidote to hip and trendy
Asheville Daily Planet
Asheville Daily Planet — January 2019 - A9
Cannady re-elected chief of Asheville-based CIBO From Staff Reports N.E. “Buzzy” Cannady III was re-elected president of the Council of Independent Business Owners during the Dec. 6 meeting at UNC Asheville’s Sherrill Center. Cannady, chief executive officer of M.B. Haynes Corp., was one of the slate of officers for 2019 — recommended by the CIBO nominating committee — that was unanimously elected by the members. Other officers elected include Rod Hudgins, vice president; Scott Hughes, secretarytreasurer; Kerney McNeil, class one board position; Jan Davis, class two board position; and Mark Brooks, class three board position. Based in Asheville, the CIBO, according to its website, “was founded in 1987 by a group
of local business-owners who envisioned an organization that would: “• Educate businessowners about the way local government works and its effect on business; “• Provide a conduit for the flow of information between busiBuzzy Cannady ness and government; “ • Work to make Asheville-Buncombe area a better place to do business and; “• Encourage business owners to serve on boards and commissions and to run for public office.”
Continued from Page A7 “You’re probably not going to produce affordable housing in the city or county without extra help,” Booth stressed. A man then asked, “So when the city
helps on affordable housing, those without affordable housing are subsidizing those in affordable housing?” “Okay,” Booth replied evenly, not disagreeing with the man’s assertion.
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The Daily Planet’s Opinion
Bicycles should not force narrowing of Charlotte Street
T
he idea to reduce Charlotte Street from three to five lanes has once again emerged from zealous — and narrow-thinking (pun intended) — city leaders. Among the arguments is that by slowing traffic, it ultimately will reduce the volume of cars, trucks and SUVs, making Charlotte Street safer. Given that nobody is predicting that fewer people will be moving to the Asheville area, the question arises as to where this traffic avoiding Charlotte Street is going to go. (For sure, the traffic is not going away.) Adjoining Chestnut Street is already a challenge and it was that way prior to a proposed five-story residential building at the Fuddruckers site. If nearby Atlanta is any example (and we think it is), the cars that avoid Charlotte Street simply will cut through other residential side streets. Those who live in the neighborhood and constantly use Charlotte Street already know how three lanes function, as evidenced by every time there is a water-main break or some other infrastructure problem that causes a lane closure — immediate traffic backup. It is also a stretch to imagine how a single turn lane accessing both sides of the street would work. Unlike Hendersonville Road, which has many strip malls with common parking, thus allowing a single turn-lane access to multiple businesses, Charlotte Street has dense businesses, usually with individual parking. They cannot all have turn lanes, so would not this result in a lot of Uturn situations? If so, that would be potentially horrific. We are cognizant that Charlotte Street is not the most bike-friendly road in the city, but we also would bet that only one in 1,000 vehicles on Charlotte Street is a bicyle. Therefore, taking a car lane to create two bike lanes is absurd, resulting in bicycles being given a gratuitous, unwarranted and unjustifiable advantage, while creating a never-ending traffic jam on Charlotte Street. As Asheville’s Steve Woolum wrote in a stellar letter to the editor in the Dec 11 edition of the Mountain Xpress. unlike cars, trucks and SUVs, bicycles can use back neighborhood roads with little impact. “I often take my scooter downtown and use different routes than when driving my car, so why can’t bikes?” Woolum rightly states. We urge the powers-that-be to leave Charlotte Street with four lanes for regular cars, trucks and SUVs, while, at the same, making any possible improvements for access and safety for bicyclists and pedestrians.
A plaque for Bush in Chapel Hill?
C
HAPEL HILL — “There should be an historic plaque in Chapel Hill honoring George Bush.” On the day (Dec. 1) after the former president’s death, Chapel Hill lawyer and chair of the town’s historic district commission, Bob Epting, was making opening remarks at a public seminar on preserving historic spaces. “I didn’t vote for him,” Epting said. “But I admired and loved him.” Epting explained that during World War II, Bush and about 15,000 other prospective U.S. Navy pilots were part of a pre-flight training program at Chapel Hill. “It is a shame that there is no marker here for Bush and the others.” In Jon Meacham’s 2015 best seller, “Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush,” the president’s time in Chapel Hill plays a short but very important role in his life. When Bush turned 18 in 1942, he enlisted in the Navy and was sent to Chapel Hill for pre-flight training, which was according to Meacham, “a very shaping experience, a memorable experience.” Perhaps even more important for Bush was the daylong visit to Chapel Hill of 17-year-old Barbara Pierce. Bush wrote his mother, “She looked too cute for words—really beautiful.” Meacham writes, “They had a sandwich
D.G. Martin together and walked the campus, winding up at the university’s Kenan Memorial Stadium in a grove of pine trees about a mile away from the inn. A sudden storm drove them into the canvas-covered press box. ‘We laughed at everything,’ Bush wrote, grateful for the stolen hours.” During that short visit their romance bloomed, leading to their marriage in January 1945. Without the tough Chapel Hill training that prepared him for wartime service and without the tough Barbara Bush by his side, the “kinder and gentler” Bush might have spent his life in business in New York or New England like many of his Yale classmates. With the closing of the Chapel Hill airport earlier this year an important physical reminder of Bush’s connection has been lost. There are few other reminders of the pre-flight program and its contribution to the war effort, to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and to the town. See MARTIN, Page A12
Letters to the Editor
Time has come to impeach Trump for his misdeeds
A
pparently President Trump still thinks this whole thing about rising seas and melting snow (aka Climate Change) is a hoax so, in order to detract from scientific facts that prove it is not a hoax, he has created a Climate Change of his own making. It’s called a Climate of HATE and he proves it every day by sowing the seeds of mistrust and fear including his defense of Mohammad Bin Salman who (according to the CIA and other members of the intelligence community) ordered the killing of journalist Jamal Kashoggi and lashing out at the very tenets and doctrines that make this nation great. We cannot exist in a climate of hate, fear and mistrust. Impeach President Trump and put an end to this embarrassing chapter in our history! Lest I forget ... A Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year to all! Herb Stark Mooresville
‘Democratic Socialists?’ They must live in Dreamland I happen to agree with The New York Times when it warned Nancy Pelosi not to give too much power to the newly elected House Democrats who call themselves “Democratic Socialists.” They will be a minority of the Democrats in the House of Representatives. I don’t enjoy being unkind or insulting toward anyone, even the Republicans in the
Congress, a sizeable minority of whom are really scary “Survival of the Fittest” Social Darwinists, but, to me, you have to be a total and complete moron and idiot to call yourself a “Democratic Socialist,” and that includes Bernie Sanders, who I like and agree with 90 percent of the time. First of all, they are not true socialists because they do not advocate abolishing our capitalist economic system. Second of all, if you believe that Al Pacino anyone can be elected president of the United States who calls herself/himself a “Socialist,” then you must live in Dreamland and must have drunk the Kool-Aid. Third of all, where I DO agree with them is in their belief that our federal government should do more and spend more to help the poor, the near-poor, the lower-middle-class, and the middle-class, who are struggling to survive and to pay their bills. They need to inform and educate the public to the fact that almost every one of our traditional allies (if not all of them) have federal governments that do more and spend more (in proportion to their population sizes) than we do in the USA. And, to paraphrase Al Pacino in the movie “And Justice For All,” for us to be right about this, all of these other countries have to be wrong. I don’t think so. Stewart B. Epstein Rochester, N.Y. See LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, Page A12
The Candid Conservative
Who maimed Asheville? Part II
“All the world is made of faith, and trust, and pixie dust.” — J.M. Barrie, “Peter Pan”
The Problem
L
ast month we suggested Asheville’s developing a limp. Let’s up the ante – as measured by a growing parade of sour faces, our cool green credentials are being ousted by a dower shade of grey. Cesspool of confusion? If so, who did it? At the top of the list stands the soundless majority. Those who’ve sat back and passively watched the nonsense dial up year after year. That includes most of our community’s 46,000 registered Republicans and other conservatives. We could have readily reeled in this civic mayhem with more doing and voting and a little less reclining. In the prone position we tend to forget the world gives us pretty much what we earn. Those who’ve had a more direct hand in allowing Asheville’s harms to accelerate have earned more direct attention. My pleasure to meet the need.
An indifference to diversity
Buzzword aficionados will recall that the left once sold “diversity” as a big deal. It means little more than liberated to do any weird thing that suits one’s fancy and ready availability of local drugs and produce. It has nothing to do with diversity of thought or values. For confirmation, look no further than Asheville’s 7-0 ultra-liberal governing body. The
Carl Mumpower only variety of thought in this group is the creativity with which they independently come up with diverse ways to spend money, create new regulations and indulge their special interests. Have we really slid so far down into the rabbit hole that we don’t realize the dangers inherent to homogenized governance? Good-old-boy/girl/other progressivism has eclipsed diversity, reason and realism in our city’s voting majority and no one questions the equation. That’s habituation — and habituation is always a precursor to dysfunction.
Illegal immigration
Take a trip through any public housing project in Asheville and you’ll spot a parade of single-parent children. By now everyone knows how damaging MIA fathers are to child development. In those same settings you will find an ironic army of loitering young adult men. Many aren’t working – either they don’t want to, don’t have to, or don’t know how to. That sad phenomenon is traceable. There’s the corruptive impact of drugs – generational dependency on government – and that missing dad thing. See CANDID CONSERVATIVE, Page A12
Asheville Daily Planet — January 2019 - A11
Commentary
Mark Meadows: WNC’s puzzle in Congress
M
ark Meadows made a bid to be Donald Trump’s chief of staff. Trump turned him down. Aw shucks. We came so close to getting rid of a bad
congressman. Bad, but how bad? What are his badnesses? Read on. I wrote a column back in 2012, when he was running for Congress, about how Meadows was campaigning against a 1992 UN initiative called “Agenda 21,” a voluntary plan for environmentally-friendly global development. George H.W. Bush signed it for the United States. Meadows bought into dark theories about Agenda 21, that it’s a plot to take away private property rights. Alabama had passed a law calling Agenda 21 a precursor to world government. The word “kook” didn’t appear in my column, except by logical conclusion. In last year’s election campaigns, I noticed that my county’s Democrats were more exercised against Meadows than against (snort) Michele Presnell or (ptui) Ralph Hise. And I noticed that TV commentators, when talking about Meadows’ bid for chief of staff, often mentioned that Rep. Mark Meadows he’s unpopular in Congress. Why do Democrats wish him gone and congressional Republicans wish he’d never come? I asked Google. An NPR article popped up: “Meadows, 57, has rebelled against the establishment Republican Party. He helped shut down the government in 2013 and oust John Boehner from his House speakership in 2015.” Actually, the media gave Meadows and Senator Ted Cruz equal credit for the 2013 shutdown. Meadows precipitated the crisis with a letter to Boehner, demanding that Obamacare be defunded in the budget. He is reported to have said: “It’s best to close the government in the short term to win a delay on Obamacare, despite the potential negative impact on the economy.” It was his first year in Congress, and he was already doing jumping jacks to attract attention. I think the Obamacare issue is diagnostic of Meadows, as a politician and as a man. He
Lee Ballard fanatically wanted Obamacare repealed – until he read the Congressional Budget Office report, that the GOP replacement bill would greatly impact coverage for pre-existing conditions. It’s reported that he wept, remembering the experiences of his father and sister. He now favors protecting pre-existing conditions. Meadows tends to be quick and loud on issues and then back away. NPR reports that “Meadows wants to cut off all 10 million Americans who today get federal subsidies to buy health coverage, which he says the country can ill afford.” Obviously, nobody in Meadows’ family gets subsidies. Meadows’ healthcare positions would certainly be one reason for Democratic disapproval. Now try this one on: “How ridiculous is [the idea of global warming] when you have our fighting men and women, they get up and they say, ‘Man, it’s a little chilly, maybe today is the day that we’ve got to worry about climate change.’” He got headlines last year on the Mueller investigation. He tweeted in July: “I just filed a resolution…to impeach Rod Rosenstein.” His words seemed to dance with joy on the page. An Asheville editorial opened like this: “We are routinely appalled by the views of Mark Meadows….Now, however, his actions have gone beyond simply appalling. In his attacks on the Department of Justice, Meadows is targeting the rule of law for political advantage.” (Two weeks later, after consulting GOP leadership, Meadows dropped the impeachment
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idea and suggested contempt of Congress instead.) He’s often said that he does what his constituents want him to do. Right. But it would be more honest for him to play the sound track of “Showboat” as background to his tweets. Meadows’ bid to work for Trump is puzzling. Is he tired of the Congress gig? Or is he worried about re-election? Before 2020, the courts will rule on gerrymandering, and the 11th District will
likely be drawn fairly. With Asheville back in the district and some red counties gone, he will need an enthusiastic base. But it’s also likely that Trump will be totally discredited by Mueller’s findings and perhaps even disgraced as a traitor. A discouraged base would sink Meadows. • Lee Ballard , who lives in Mars Hill, has a website at Mountainsnail.com.
A12
January 2019 - Asheville Daily Planet
Letters
Continued from Page A10
Ending 287(g) program would make Hendersonville a failed sanctuary city
The 287(g) program in Henderson County, in cooperation with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has been highly successful under the past two county sheriffs. There is no reason for the new Sheriff Lowell Griffin to terminate it. With the 287(g) program, encounters and arrests have been conducted in a timely manner so that the perpetrator is not accidentally released into our community. When illegal immigrants commit crimes, especially assault, murder, rape, check fraud, identity theft, drug trafficking and human trafficking, they need to be taken off the street immediately and permanently with no chance of accidentally being released into the community. The 287(g) program allows for swift identification of these illegal immigrants when they are processed into our jail. Terminating 287(g) would most likely mean a greater, not lesser, ICE presence. As in jurisdictions that do not cooperate with ICE, the agency has no choice but to target specific people on the streets that it otherwise would’ve taken into custody at the detention center. Terminating 287(g) puts Henderson County and surrounding ones the program services, on the road to become another failed sanctuary city that puts all of our residents at risk.The 287(g) program in Henderson County, in coop-
eration with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has been highly successful under the past two county sheriffs. There is no reason for the new Sheriff Lowell Griffin to terminate it. With the 287(g) program, encounters and arrests have been conducted in a timely manner so that the perpetrator is not accidentally released into our community. When illegal immigrants commit crimes, especially assault, murder, rape, check fraud, identity theft, drug trafficking and human trafficking, they need to be taken off the street immediately and permanently with no chance of accidentally being released into the community. The 287(g) program allows for swift identification of these illegal immigrants when they are processed into our jail. Terminating 287(g) would most likely mean a greater, not lesser, ICE presence. As in jurisdictions that do not cooperate with ICE, the agency has no choice but to target specific people on the streets that it otherwise would’ve taken into custody at the detention center. Terminating 287(g) puts Henderson County and surrounding ones the program services, on the road to become another failed sanctuary city that puts all of our residents at risk. Jane Bilello Chairman Asheville Tea Party www.ashevilleteaparty.org Asheville Tea PAC www.ashevilleteapac.org Hendersonville EDITOR’S NOTE: Bilello also listed — among her titles — Wall of Honor Heritage Sentinel and FreedomWorks Super Activist.
Candid Conservative Continued from Page A10 One you don’t hear about is the impact of a couple decades of illegal immigration. That tragic misstep has enabled us to most especially ignore our young black men. Employers have had a ready and willing adult labor pool to draw from that has made the trials and tribulations of reaching out to, hiring and training these young people unnecessary. Though it has a racial impact, a distaste for illegal immigration is not a race thing. It is a real-world thing. In the real-world extremes breed extremes. Allowing people to steal vs. earn their way into America has resulted in an unintended consequence whereby we have discarded too many of our own. You won’t hear about this hidden shame in our politically correct community. Just like you won’t hear about the cost impacts and overload on our social safety net, schools and legal system.
Liberal media bias
Pretty much since the turn of the century, our community’s media model has been anything but fair and balanced. Our daily paper and TV station have reliably catered to progressive agendas. Please don’t take my word for it. A google search of the political pieces of both reveals a remarkably consistent pattern of liberal bias. The impact has been a loss of investigative journalism, objectivity and oversight crucial to cultural sanity. President Trump is very much right to challenge this singularity. His opposition is not toward journalism – it’s toward biased journalism. Anyone who thinks mainstream journalism is not biased must be standing on the side benefiting from the prejudice. Journalistic dedication to truth’s 360-degree spectrum is important for the same reason it’s important to not just look out the front window when you drive your car. The things you’ll miss can do great harm.
Failures of the church
It’s my pleasure to break it to you that morality matters – and that our community’s historical scruples can be tracked directly to our churches. Please excuse my candor while I call out the majority of our ministers for having done a miserable job of carrying on that history of success. Why the thump? We have churches all over town. Those houses of worship are almost universally grounded in the King James Bible,
Catholic Bible, Torah or other similar guide to the deeper truths of the Judeo-Christian faith. How do you run a Judeo-Christian church and ignore your compass? In Jesus’s time the Pharisees had that mischief down to a science. The echo of Pharisaic hypocrisy can be found in most Asheville churches most any Sunday. The result is a host of watered-down places of worship attempting to be everything to everybody and fast becoming nothing to nobody. Keep this strictly between us, but my own church – the one where I was baptized – has become so liberal that what once was a house of light has become more or less a spiritual amusement center. There you will find consistent devotion to the message of Jesus’s love and zero engagement is his matching call to accountability. The services are thus dependably dedicated to (1) making people feel good (2) watering down the importance of the commandments and (3) preserving the financial integrity of the faculty and staff. Ministers who ignore the Bible’s cautions on the dangers of living outside of God’s stated will and then put a happy face on spiritual complacency are toxic. How and why? Pretending that we have to ignore the Bible’s challenges on misbehavior – drugs, immorality, violence, family destruction, greed, immaturity, sloth, etc. – in order to be loving hosts is a lie. By the way, while I’m getting in trouble, may I suggest the above goes double for our community’s black ministers? Most black churches endorse conservative Christian values and have more spirit in one service than we have in five. Yet the only time we hear a peep from you good folks on our community’s slide into darkness are on matters of race. Anything else and you are shamefully AWOL. Luke 20:46 offers caution for those who take on the awesome responsibilities found on the back side of the pulpit.
Corruption
In recent months we’ve been witnesses to a parade of corrupt community enterprises. Not much needs to be said about a county governance model where fraud was an institutional enterprise. We really should remember it went down while the Democrat Party was on watch and in full control. They still are. Then there’s the media complicity that enabled the ruse. The rumors and flags were legion for a decade plus. Just what did our primary media outlets think a governance pattern of refusing to share information; staff
Troubled America needs to build thick, tall wall to keep out invaders
The picture of thousands of invaders trying to forcefully get into America is frightful — especially to those living along the border with Mexico. For years, many have had their homes invaded, by much smaller groups than the present-day caravans. Caravan of immigrants invading America is a new type of threat to this country. The liberal’s idea of an opened-border-policy is a sign of insanity. Especially now that Mexico has, as of 12-1-18, a new president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. He has been quoted as saying, during his campaign, “that immigrants must leave their towns and find a life in the United States.” And he was also quoted as saying, …. “And soon, very soon….after the victory of our movement….we will defend all the migrants in the American continent and all the migrants in the world.” Hopefully, that was just campaign bravado. We will soon find out! Too bad our gutless Republican legislators, and their fellow Democrat/Abomination Party legislators, didn’t give the president enough money to build the wall. The wall should be 50 feet thick and 100 feet high, of reinforced concrete, down the center of the Rio Grande River, from the Gulf of Mexico to El Paso, Texas., and from there on the border line, all the way to the Pacific Ocean. If it can be done, America can do it! Manuel Ybarra Jr. Coalgate, Okla.
and elected official intimidation; and rampant nepotism meant? A-B Tech is another unfortunate example of corruption. When you make promises in order to secure passage of a special tax and then license yourself with double talk to betray the oaths used to secure that outcome, that’s corruption. Lastly, may one take a moment to declare foul play on the projected sale of our community’s hospital system? Does anyone really believe we would spend a hundred years building this non-profit enterprise and then hand it off to a for-profit company just to make things better? Mission Hospital’s management has long been struggling with its business model. The temporary solution has been chronic understaffing and overwork for those who carry the load. Ask most anyone working there. The gloom factor and fatigue have more in common with the last days of Khadafy’s Libya than a smooth transition from something good to something better. Remember the deceptions used to sell the ill-fated merger of St. Joe and Mission? A ton of folks have regretted that faux pas. The surrender of this community asset will one day make that earlier community card trick look like child’s play. Once again, the media has reliably echoed the information releases of administrators and skipped anything approaching investigative journalism on the truth behind the curtain. Can you recall even one negative article or news clip on disgruntled hospital employees; under-staffing as undeclared policy; unsustainable free-service demands; and a financial iceberg a “happy face” administration has hidden for years?
What’s next?
Originally this was intended as a twopart series. There’s so much silly stuff going on in Asheville it’s going to take three. In the interim, press on with your own efforts to add some light to Asheville’s grey. You’re light is needed — we live in a city that’s limping, not paralyzed. For honest, liberated and enthusiastic culturists, there’s lots to do…. • Carl Mumpower, a psychologist and former elected official, is chairman of the Buncombe County Republican Party. He can be reached at drmumpower@aol.com.
Martin
Continued from Page A10 One fresh reminder is a new book by Anne Keene whose grandfather directed the program. Keene’s book focuses on the program’s connection to another set of American heroes. Her book, “The Cloudbuster Nine: The Untold Story of Ted Williams and the Baseball Team that Helped Win WWII,” focuses on a group of major league baseball players like Williams, who trained in Chapel Hill and went on to fly combat aircraft during the war. They were heroes in the sky and on the baseball field. While they were in Chapel Hill, Williams and other major league players such as Johnny Pesky, and Johnny Sain were among a cadre of fighter-pilot cadets who played for a Navy team called the Cloudbuster Nine. Keene asserts that the Cloudbuster Nine team was better than the New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals, the teams that faced each other in the 1943 World Series. Bush and Williams were not the only famous names in the pre-flight training. Gerald Ford, John Glenn and Paul “Bear” Bryant took the training too. That training was rigorous in the classroom, on the athletic fields, and in other tough physical and mental exercises. The curriculum was designed to get the future pilots in shape for combat and the challenges of survival should they be shot down in enemy territory. Because the hard and effective training contributed significantly to the ultimate victory, it is fair to say that the war was won, at least in part, in Chapel Hill, and certainly should be commemorated. A plaque like the one suggested by Bob Epting, could honor and remember not only Bush, but also Ford, Williams and the thousands of other pre-flight cadets. • D.G. Martin hosts “North Carolina Bookwatch,” which airs at noon Sundays and at 5 p.m. Thursdays on UNC-TV.
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A14 - January 2019 - Asheville Daily Planet
THe maps above and below show details of NCDOT’s I-26 Connector project that will run through West Asheville and adjoin the Montford neighborhood.
Connector
Continued from Page A1 In addition, three new flyover bridges would carry I-26 and I-240 traffic over the French Broad River. One bridge would serve I-26 eastbound and westbound traffic, while two bridges would carry I-240 traffic. The B section could take about five years to complete, the C section about four years and the A section, about two or three years, NCDOT Project Manager Derrick Weaver told the Mountain Xpress. The drop-in session that preceded the hearing gave the public an opportunity to develop a more in-depth understanding of the project. To that end, a series of horizontal maps were pinned to the boards in the center of the hotel’s ground floor ballroom. Among the speakers, Asheville City Council member Julie Mayfield, who is a co-director of the MountainTrue environmental defense group, said of the project, “It makes me angry. It makes me sad. It makes me anxious for the future of our city. I literally dream about this project — although unpleasant dreams are usually called nightmares.” She also told the crowd, “If I thought there was a way to stop this project, I would be with you.” Instead, Mayfield noted, city officials have been pushing for ways to make it better. For instance, Mayfield noted that city leaders believe the changes to Patton Avenue could create a welcoming new front door to downtown Asheville. “Patton Avenue can be Asheville’s grand
boulevard, our Champs-Elysées, our Las Ramblas, an iconic street where people live and work, shop and eat and travel safely on foot, by bike, in buses and cars.”
For that to happen, Mayfield said the NCDOT would have to follow the design priorities of the City of Asheville. While many of those suggestions have found their
way into the design, Mayfield said she hopes the city can negotiate with NCDOT for a number of other changes. See CONNECTOR, Page A15
Asheville Daily Planet — January 2019 — A15
Connector
Continued from Page A14 “These designs can make or break this project,” Mayfield said. “We have no choice… We must get it right... The aim is for the project to be smaller and less impactful — and to return Patton Avenue to a surface road.” As Mayfield paused, some in the crowd arose from their chairs and gave Mayfield a loud and sustained standing ovation. Continuing, Mayfield said that one alteration she is seeking is a shift of a proposed traffic signal on Patton Avenue to the east and the removal of an exit from I-240, which would make room for development. Ideally, that land would be set aside for mixed-used projects, she said, adding, “We wouldn’t want this to be a whole avenue of hotels or a whole avenue of breweries. That’s not the city’s vision for this.” Further, Mayfield said additional changes could reduce the total footprint of the I-26 project, such as eliminating concrete islands at intersections, which, she contended, would reduce the project’s cumulative impact on adjacent property owners. Mayfield also said she would like to see some of the smooth curves at the ends of exit ramps made sharper to slow motorists down as they exit onto a local road. Prior to the hearing, Suzanne Devane, a Montford resident with the group Don’t Wreck Asheville, called the designs “a horror show,” the Mountain Xpress reported. Devane also told the MX, “It’s now become the gargantuan, stupid project that resembles octopus tentacles taking care of every traffic problem that Asheville has. And it shouldn’t be doing that. It should just be a straight shot.” Regarding the city’s design aspirations for Patton Avenue, Devane told the MX that they are not compatible with the overarching goals of the project. “This has always been a federal highway project,” Devane told the MX. “This has never been a Champs-Elysées project. This has never been an economic development project.” City leaders, Devane said, are moving forward without a guarantee that their vision for the project will be realized. “All of it is on a hope and a whim,” she told the MX. “Something needs to be done to fix the congestion; something needs to be done to make I-26 safer to access for people going from Charleston (S.C.) all the way to Johnson City (Tenn.) But this humongous project is not the answer.” Meanwhile, among those praising the project during the hearing was Michelle Pace Wood, representing the Enka-Candler Business Association, who said that her organization has been pushing for the I-26 Connector since 1986. “Our area (Enka-Candler) is cut off from downtown (Asheville), and we need better access,” Wood asserted, adding her prediction that the project would help commerce in Buncombe County. In response to a number of speakers who lamented that the project seems unstoppable at this point, NCDOT spokesman David Uchiyama said the area impacted by the project is “essentially set,” but there could be room for refinements within that footprint, based on comments collected at the meeting — and in the weeks leading up to the NCDOT’s comment deadline on Jan. 4. The project’s right-of-way is projected to displace 114 homes, 36 businesses and two nonprofits, a reduction from the impact NCDOT estimated in 2015. Plans on the table then would have affected 31 more homes and 20 more businesses. Among comments by other speakers at the hearing, Devane (of Don’t Wreck Asheville) said, “It’s been interested to hear some of this history. There obviously three sections and section D is going to be the front door…. This has always been a federal highway project. It’s never been a
Julie Mayfield
Michelle Pace Wood
Champs-Elysées (an avenue in Paris known for its charm) or an economic development project for Asheville.” In a jab at NCDOT, she said, “What you’ve taken is the community’s design hopes…. and translated them into” a mess. “We’re talking about 22 lanes of concrete to get to that point,” Devane said, adding that it appears “there is nothing” the public can do at this point to change anything. “All of it is being done on a hope and a whim,” she lamented. “At what point do you determine what we see in these photos… 10 stories above the French Broad River ... The city has to come to an understanding that their hopes and dreams will not guide us. They need to talk to DOT… Something needs to be done to fix the congestion... Something needs to be done… But this humongous project is not the answer. “We’re supposed to be at a question-andanswer period tonight. But if we can’t get answers to our questions, then it’s just a sham,” Devane contended. Uchiyama, NCDOT’s hearing leader, said, “We’ve got experts all around this room” to answer any questions. “You know and I know that people don’t know what they’re looking at, at these maps,” Devane replied. She added, “I see no reason putting lipstick on a pig.” At that point, Uchiyama said evenly to Devane, “Your three minutes are up!” Another citizen, Ted Fedura, a member of MountainTrue’s aescetics committee, said, “I have a deep concern about the ‘designer/builder’ decision. That process, potentially at least, circumvents” the ability for the public to give further input. “We’ve vented this for three decades now,” Fedura said. “Certainly, we can delay this for a few more months, so that all comments can be” submitted. “There’s a heavy risk that the designerbuilder will choose cheep and ugly because” that will be more profitable for his or her company. Further, Fedura said, “We need to not use the need to maintain traffic speed to justify design decisions that are more impactful than they need to be. Reduce the design parameters to 50 miles per hour, rather than 55, or even 40 miles per your. There’s no reason to rush through Asheville from Charleston (S.C.) to Kingsport (Tenn.).” Another citizen, Mary Tranner , who described herself as a downtown Asheville resident, said that “if you go to Wikipedia and go to ‘freeway removal,’ you’ll see where 15 cities have removed their interstates.” Tranner added that “fourteen more (cities) in the United States and Canada are working to rid themselves of their interstates” and that the NCDOT and Asheville should consider moving I-26, so that it bypasses the city. In a jab at Asheville’s proposed I-26 Connector, she said, “This is a huge highway complex, more like that of big cities,” which, she said, raises “air quality and ozone issues. I believe Asheville is primarily downwind from the ozone sampling device.... “Lastly I have a few questions to pose for thought... How long will it take before word gets out about the construction to would-be-tourists? How long will the project take (to be completed)? The Pond Road bridge took five years instead of three,” Tranner asserted.
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A16 — January 2019 - Asheville Daily Planet
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Entertainment
Special Section PULLOUT
& Calendar of Events
Asheville Daily Planet — January 2019
Flap erupts over whether to ban Southern Belles from AVL parade From Staff Reports
A
troupe of young women, dressed as Southern belles in massive pastel hoop skirts, created a stir through their participation in the annual Asheville Holiday Parade on Nov. 17. The 12 young women from Alabama strolled down Patton Avenue “in perfect unison, pausing occasionally for a beautiful, elaborate curtsy,” John Boyle noted in a recent column in the Ashevile Citizen Times. They are members of the Dogwood Trail Court, which is sponsored by the Eastern Shore Optimist Club in Fairhope, Ala. As Boyle stated in his column, “In a downtown known more for drunken revelers, a raucous drum circle and an occasional topless female, it was, well, weird. “And it was not well-received in some circles, particularly on Facebook.” Among those Boyle cited as unhappy with the troupe was Asheville resident Marlisa Mills. She wrote on a Facebook post featuring a picture of the women: “As an Asheville native who remembers the parades of the ‘50s, where this was standard fare: When did we put the slavery-era fashion back into the parade?” In another post, Mills wrote, “Asheville, you need to have better oversight of what marches down your streets in a sanctioned holiday parade. ‘Keep Asheville Racist, Sexist, Classist, and Anachronistic’ is too long a bumper sticker.” What’s more, in a message to the Citizen Times, Mills explained her thinking as follows: “Whoever decided that the Dogwood Trail Court Belles belonged in the streets of our city was seriously short-sighted,” Mills wrote. “This group represents everything that is wrong with our Southern culture.” See SOUTHERN BELLES, Page B7
B1
Women’s March’s co-president to be keynote speaker at UNCA’s MLK event From Staff Reports
T
Daily Planet Staff Photo
Members of the Dogwood Trail Court, dressed as Southern belles, wave during the Asheville Holiday Parade on Nov. 24.
amika D. Mallory, national co-president of the Women’s March, will deliver the keynote address for UNC Asheville’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Week. The keynote talk is the highlight of a week focusing on King’s moral legacy, including a day of community service, and activities and workshops for students on contemporary issues and civil rights history. Mallory’s talk will be free and open to everyone — with no tickets required — at 7 p.m. Jan. 24, in UNCA’s Lipinsky Auditorium. The doors will open at 6 p.m. — and seating is first-come, first-served. The first Women’s March in January 2017 drew an estimated 5 million participants worldwide, with 500,000 people marching in Washington, D.C., and an estimated 7,000 to 10,000 participants in downtown Asheville. The Women’s March is planning more marches on Tamika D. Mallory the weekend of Jan. 19 — and Mallory’s role as the national organization’s co-president will continue. Mallory said of her approach, “My fellow Women’s March leaders believe that we can be the bridge to connect different groups in the name of our shared liberation. We don’t just step into difficult spaces, we create new ones. I am guided by the loving principles of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., though I have fallen short of them at times. And it is with the belief that ‘nonviolence seeks to win friendship and understanding’ and ‘nonviolence seeks to defeat injustice, not people’ that we organized a march on January 21, 2017, that 5 million people participated in worldwide; and we have been guided by those values the whole way through.”
Review
Christmas show turns chill into holiday warmth
By JOHN NORTH
F
john@AshevilleDailyPlanet.com
LAT ROCK— On Dec. 22, the last night of “A Flat Rock Playhouse Christmas,” the temperature was in the mid-20s (with wind chill) outside, but, inside, the FRP’s annual holiday musical extravaganza managed to fire up the audience’s warmth and spirit. The show, which ran Nov. 29-Dec. 22, ended that night with a sustained standing ovation, as the entire cast of singers and dancers assembled on stage and invited the audience to sing along to “White Christmas.” About 420 of 500 seats at the Mainstage theater were filled. The turnout reportedly had been terrific during the entire run. Arguably the best performance of the night was Ben Hope’s solo — and gor-
Special photo SCOTT TREADWAY / TREADSHOTS
“A Flat Rock Playhouse Christmas” featured singers and dancers, staged in a winter wonderland. geous — rendition of Garth Brooks’ 1997 anti-war hit “Belleau Wood.” The song “tells the story of the World War I Christmas truce in 1914. As snowflakes fall silently over Belleau Wood, France, German and British soldiers hide in trenches less than 50 feet from each other. The silence is broken by a German soldier singing ‘Silent Night.’ One by one, each soldier climbs out
of their trench and joins in,” Terry Martin wrote in a web posting on Dec. 23, 2014. “As the Christmas truce ends, the fighting resumes and the moment of peace and understanding is lost. It’s a beautiful, but ultimately tragic, Christmas song.” As “Belleau Wood” ended, the audience broke out of its apparent revery and responsed with sustained and loud applause.
Another highlight was the singing and playing of the Hawaiian Christmas song, “Mele Kalikima,” by a trio that included Ben Hope, guitar; Katie Barton-Hope, standup bass; and Ryan Guerra, mandolin. The same trio also later performed a delightful rendition of Chuck Berry’s 1958 hit, “Run Rudolph Run.” See CHRISTMAS SHOW, Page B7
B2 — January 2019 - Asheville Daily Planet
Life is short. Dance in the right shoes! Rhonda Vincent (left) and the Rage will perform in concert at 7 p.m. Jan. 18 in The Foundation for Performing Arts at Isothermal Community College in Spinale.
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Saturday, Jan. 5
“HOLIDAYS AT THE MOVIES” SHOW, 3 and 7:30 p.m., Concert Hall, Blue Ridge Community College, East Flat Rock. The “Holidays at the Movies” concert, rescheduled from a snowy Dec. 8, will be performed by the Hendersonville Sympony Orchestra, featuring popular songs from holiday movies through the years. Joining the HSO, under the baton of maestro Thomas Joiner, will be Preston Dyar, a well-known actor for the past many years with the Flat Rock Playhouse, the state theater of North Carolina. Dyar will provide colorful narration during the concert, including retelling the holiday story, “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.” The concert is being touted as “an uplifting blend of music from such films as ‘It’s a Wonderful Life,’ ‘The Polar Express,’ ‘Miracle on 34th Street”and ‘White Christmas.’” As always, there will be a guest mystery conductor leading the symphony in a rousing rendition of “Sleigh Ride” by composer Leroy Anderson. The mystery conductor placed the winning bid for the chance to conduct at the HSO’s annual fundraiser in February 2018. For tickets, which are $40, visit hendersonvillesymphony.org, or call 697-5884. “HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ELVIS” TRIBUTE SHOW, 7 p.m., The Foundation Performing Arts Center, Isothermal Community College, Spindale. Dreamweavers Dance Studio will present a performance of the tribute show “Happy Birthday, Elvis,” featuring Travis Powell. For tickets, visit FoundationShows.org.
Friday, Jan. 11
BIG BAND DANCE WEEKEND, 7:30 p.m., Grand Ballroom, Omni Resorts The Grove Park Inn, North Asheville. Big Band Dance Weekend will begin on Jan. 11 with a concert and dance featuring the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. Activities will continue Jan. 12 with ballroom dance instruction from 10 a.m. to noon, an afternoon tea dance from 2 to 4 p.m., and another concert and dance featuring the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, with doors opening at 7:30 p.m. For tickets, call (800) 438-5800.
Sunday, Jan. 13
TRIO KARENINE CONCERT, 4 p.m., Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville, 1 Edwin Place, North Asheville. Trio Karenine, founded in Paris in 2009, will perform in concert. The piano trio is lauded “for its musical integrity and joie de vivre by critics and audiences alike. Top prize winner at the ARD International Competition in 2013, the ensemble has performed in major halls including Wigmore Hall in London, Salle Pleyel and
Auditorium du Louvre in Paris, Musée des BeauxArts in Montréal, Palazzetto Bru Zane in Venice, Laeiszhalle in Hamburg, and Prinzregentheater and Herkulessaal in Munich. The trio has toured Asia, both in China with the Festival Croisements, and in Japan.” For tickets, which are $40, visit ashevillechambermusic.org. SAM BUSH CONCERT, 7:30 p.m., Isis Music Hall, 743 Haywood Rd., West Asheville. Mandolin player Sam Bush, billed as “the Father of Newgrass” and “the King of Telluride,” will perform in concert. For tickets, which are $30 in advance and $35 on the day of the show, visit http:/isisasheville. com/event/sam-bush-band, or call 575-2737.
Friday, Jan. 18
RHONDA VINCENT & THE RAGE CONCERT, 7 p.m., The Foundation Performing Arts Center, Isothermal Community College, Spindale. The band Rhonda Vincent & The Rage will perform in concert. Vincent is billed as “the queen of bluegrass.” For tickets, vcisit www.FoundationShows.org.
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Saturday, Jan. 19
AIR SUPPLY CONCERT, 7:30 p.m., Event Center, Harrah’s Cherokee Resort. The duo Air Supply will perform in concert. For tickets, visit Ticketmaster.com, visit the TWA box office or call the box office at (800) 745-3000. ART STURTEVANT COMEDY SHOW, 7:30 p.m., The Magnetic Theatre, 375 Depot St., River Arts District, Asheville. The Magnetic Theatre will feature “Art Sturtevant: Tales From the Sturteverse.” Regarding Sturtevant’s show, the theater noted, “It was the dawn of time — the early 1980s. DeLoreans and mullets roamed the earth. And Art Sturtevant was doing standup comedy. It was a golden age — a time of laughter and Ginsu Knife jokes and Lee Trevino imitations, but it ended suddenly in 1985. What happened? Some say he was frozen in a liquid nitrogen accident. Others say he took a series of field management jobs with national corporations. Just as suddenly as he’d disappeared, Art surfaced again in the open mic venues of 2010. Art’s a smart, funny comic with the interests of a 20-year-old and the body of a middle-age man. His observations on pop culture, being a father and how you can change so much and so little over the span of decades have cracked up audiences all over the East Coast.” For tickets, which are $12, visit www.themagnetictheatre.org. ASHEVILLE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA CONCERT, 8 p.m., Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, downtown Asheville. The ASO will perform “Masterworks 4: Saint-Saéns” under guest conductor Ward Stare, and featuring Daniel Kaler on cello and Laura Strickling, soprano; and the Asheville Symphony Chorus. For tickets, visit ashevillesymphonyorchestra.org. STEEP CANYON RANGERS CONCERT, 8 p.m., U.S. Cellular Center, downtown Asheville. The Steep Canyon Rangers with Hiss Golden Messenger will perform in concert.
See CALENDAR, Page B3
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Dances at the Asheville Ballroom 291 Sweeten Creek Road, Asheville
Saturday, January 12
Admission $10 Lesson at 7 p.m. • Dancing from 8 to 10:30 p.m..
Asheville Daily Planet - January 2019 - B3
Wikipedia photo
The Oak Ridge Boys will perform in concert at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 25 at the Smoky Mountain Center for Performing Arts in Franklin.
Calendar of Events Continued from Page B2
Sunday, Jan. 20
“CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF” FILM SCREENING, 3 p.m., Bardo Arts Center, Western Carolina University, Cullowee. The BAC Sunday Cinema Series will feature a screening of “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.” Single tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors (ages 65 and older) and $5 for WCU students and faculty and students. To reserve tickets, call 227ARTS or visit bardoartscenter.wcu.edu.
Tuesday, Jan. 22
“WE SHALL OVERCOME” SHOW, 8 p.m., Diana Wortham Theatre, downtown Asheville. Damien Sneed will be featured in “We Shall Overcome: A Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.” Sneed is a pianist, singer, composer and bandleader. “Well-versed in classical music, jazz, gospel, opera and musical theater, he’s worked with legends like Aretha Franklin, Wynton Marsalis, Diana Ross and Stevie Wonder,” DWT noted. “In this particular performance, Sneed and his curated group of performers celebrate generations of civil rights activists. Inspired by the words and actions of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., ‘We Shall Overcome’ is a showcase of African-American music traditions intertwined with spoken word from Dr. King’s recorded speeches — delivering an electrifying and inspiring performance that ties together a living lineage of music and culture.” For tickets, which are $40 for adults, $35 for students, and $20 for children, visit dwtheatre.com.
Wednesday, Jan. 23
“JEEVES AT SEA” STAGE PRODUCTION, 7:30 p.m., N.C. Stage Co., 15 Stage Lane, downtown Asheville. The N.C. Stage Co. production of “Jeeves at Sea” will be performed Jan. 23-Feb. 17. Regarding the show, the N.C. Stage Co. noted, “Set sail for laughter as Bertie Wooster revels in life aboard the Vanderley yacht. Bertie is the pampered guest of the lively Lady Stella (very fetching profile), accompanied, as always, by his peerless valet, Jeeves. If only Bertie’s pal Crumpet hadn’t assaulted a prince. In the blink of an eye, Bertie is masquerading as a romance novelist, Crumpet’s posing as his own long-lost twin, and a sinister foreign count is challenging Bertie to a duel. Will this madcap case of mistaken identities end in Bertie’s doom–or worse, his marriage? Have no fear; Jeeves will sort it all out.” Shows are at 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays and at 2 p.m. Sundays. Special matinees at 2 p.m. are also scheduled on two Saturdays — Feb. 9 and 16. For tickets, visit ncstage.org or call 239-0263.
Wednesday, Jan. 24
MLK WEEK KEYNOTE SPEAKER, 7 p.m., Lipinsky Auditorium, UNC Asheville. Delivering the keynote address at UNC Asheville’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Week will be Tamika D. Mallory, national co-president of the Women’s March. The keynote talk is the highlight of a week focusing on King’s moral legacy, including a day of com-
munity service, and activities and workshops for students on contemporary issues and civil rights history. “Mallory is a leader in community-based efforts to stop gun violence in her native New York City, and was instrumental in creating the NYC Crisis Management System, an official gun anti-violence prevention program that she cochaired,” a UNCA press release noted. “She also closely worked with the Obama administration on gun control policy. She has been personally touched by gun violence — the father of her son was murdered in 2001. Mallory’s role as the co-president of the Women’s March continues — and more marches are planned for the weekend of Jan. 19.” Mallory’s talk will be free and open to everyone, with no tickets required.
Friday, Jan. 25
OAK RIDGE BOYS CONCERT, 7:30 p.m., Smoky Mountain Center for Performing Arts, 1028 Georgia Road, Franklin. The Oak Ridge Boys will perform in concert. Regarding the group, the SMCPA noted, “Theirs is one of the most distinctive and recognizable sounds in the music industry. The four-part harmonies and upbeat songs of The Oak Ridge Boys have spawned dozens of Country hits and a Number One Pop smash, earned them Grammy, Dove, CMA, and ACM awards and garnered a host of other industry and fan accolades. Every time they step before an audience, the Oaks bring four decades of charted singles, and 50 years of tradition, to a stage show widely acknowledged as among the most exciting anywhere. And each of the boys remains as enthusiastic about the process as they have ever been. Their string of hits includes the country-pop chart-topper ‘Elvira,’ as well as ‘Bobbie Sue,’ ‘Dream On,’ ‘Thank God For Kids,’ ‘American Made,’ ‘I Guess It Never Hurts To Hurt Sometimes,’ ‘Fancy Free,’ ‘Gonna Take A Lot Of River’ and many others.” For tickets, which are $32, $37, $42 and $50, visit www.greatmountainmusic.com. ALAN JACKSON CONCERT, 7:30 p.m., Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, S.C. Country music Hall of Fame member Alan Jackson will perform in concert. For tickets, visit Ticketmaster.com. MOLLY TUTTLE CONCERT, 8 p.m., Diana Wortham Theatre, downtown Asheville. Awardwinning multi-instrumental singer and songwriter Molly Tuttle will perform in concert. For tickets, visit dwtheatre.com.
See CALENDAR, Page B6
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B4 — January 2019 — Asheville Daily Planet
Asheville Daily Planet — January 2019 — B5
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Calendar
Sunday, Feb. 17
TREVOR NOAH PERFORMANCE, 8 p.m., U.S. Cellular Center, downtown Asheville. Trevor Noah, host of television’s “The Daily Show,” will perform in Asheville as part of his first-ever 28-city Loud & Clear arena tour. Born in South Africa to a black mother and a white father during the end of apartheid, Noah is known for sharing “incisive social and political commentary,” according to a news release. He released his New York Times bestseller book, “Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood,” in 2016. Noah performed in Asheville in September 2017 at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium.
Continued from Page B3
Friday, Feb. 1
CLASSIC ROCK-N-ROLL WEEKEND, 7:30 p.m., Grand Ballroom, Omni Resorts The Grove Park Inn, North Asheville. Classic Rock-N-Roll Weekend will begin on Feb. 1 with a concert featuring One More Night, the Phil Collins Experience, a tribute band. Activities continue Feb. 2 with a 7:30 p.m. concert featuring Captain Fantastic, an Elton John tribute band. For tickets, call (800) 438-5800. “FRANKENSTEIN” PRODUCTION, 8 p.m., Diana Wortham Theatre, downtown Asheville. Aquila Theatre will perform “Frankenstein.” For tickets, visit dwtheatre.com.
Saturday, Feb. 2
“A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM” PRODUCTION, 8 p.m., Diana Wortham Theatre, downtown Asheville. Aquila Theatre will perform “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” For tickets, visit dwtheatre.com.
Sunday, Feb. 10
“HAMLET” FILM SCREENING, 3 p.m., Bardo Arts Center, Western Carolina University, Cullowee. The BAC Sunday Cinema Series will feature a screening of “Hamlet.” Single tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors (ages 65 and older) and $5 for WCU students and faculty. To reserve tickets, call 227-ARTS or visit bardoartscenter.wcu.edu.
Tuesday, Feb. 12
“MUSLIM MAFIA” AUTHOR’S TALK, 7 p.m., Skyland Fire Department, 9 Miller Road., Skyland. Chris Gaubatz, author of “Muslim Mafia,” will speak in an address hosted by the Asheville Tea Party. Gaubatz is billed by the ATP as the “lead undercover researcher in one of the most successful post-9/11 undercover operations in the United States, who posed as a Muslim convert and gained access to the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas-backed organization leadership meetings.” Further, in “bio” information on Gaubatz, he is described as “a national security consultant, speaker and conservative political activist. Gaubatz trains law encorcement on the severity and dangers of the jihadi network in the U.S., detailing the strategies and modus operandi of the jihadis while providing specific investigative guidance by showing them how to locate and prosecute terrorists, working with citizens, legislators and leaders at the state and local level to create strategies to expose and dismantle these networks. Gaubatz has testified before the United States Senate on issues relatiing to the consequences of agency efforts to de-emphasize radical Islam in combating terrorism.... Gaubatz has been featured on numerous global media networks, national television shows and radio programs, including “The Sean Hannity Show,” “Tipping Point,” “The Savage Nation,” “Breitbart News Daily” and “Louder With Crowder.” For advance tickets, which are $5.75, visit www. AshevilleTeaPac/Donate.
Wednesday, Feb. 13
“MUSLIM MAFIA” AUTHOR’S TALK, 1 p.m., Operations Center, 305 Williams St., Hendersonville. Chris Gaubatz, author of “Muslim Mafia,” will speak in an address hosted by the Asheville Tea Party. See Feb. 12 calendar listing for details on Gaubatz. For advance tickets, which are $5.75, visit www.AshevilleTeaPac/Donate.
Friday, Feb. 15
COLT FORD & THE LACS’ CONCERT, 8 p.m., Event Center, Harrah’s Cherokee Resort. Colt Ford & the Lacs will perform in concert. Ford is billed as “an American country musician from Athens, Ga., known for his eclectic style that draws heavily on hip hop, with his style being dubbed as ‘hick hop.’ Growing up listening to country greats such as Kenny Rogers and Dolly patron, alongside a love of R&B and hip hop, Colt Ford’s blend of country and rap is a natural reflection of the influences he grew up with. However, things could have been very different for Ford, who had initially found success as a professional golfer, competing on the Nationwide Tour.” For tickets, visit Ticketmaster.com.
See CALENDAR, Page B7
YouTube Photo
Molly Tuttle (center) will perform in concert at 8 p.m. Jan. 25 in Diana Wortham Theatre in downtown Asheville.
Saturday, Feb. 16
THE PLATTERS CONCERT, 7 p.m., The Foundation Performing Arts Center, Isothermal Community College, Spindale. The iconic group The Platters will perform in concert. Regarding The Platters, The Foundation noted, “With classics such as ‘The Great Pretender,’ ‘Only You’ and their rendition of ‘Smoke Gets in Your Eyes,’ The Platters became one of the greatest vocal groups of the early rock n’ roll era. In 1955, the quintet crashed through the racial divide that existed in the United States paving the way for them to become one of the preeminent
vocal groups of all time. Today the group continues to open the hearts and minds of new generations of music consumers to the rich vocal and historical tradition that is The Platters, making their timeless melodies relevant to all ages of worldwide fans.” For tickets, vcisit www.FoundationShows.org.
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Calendar Continued from Page B6
Saturday, Feb. 23
ASHEVILLE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA CONCERT, 8 p.m., Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, downtown Asheville. The ASO will perform “Masterworks 5: Beethoven” under guest conductor Mei-Ann Chen, and featuring violinist Alexi Kenney, and the Asheville Symphony Chorus. For tickets, visit ashevillesymphonyorchestra.org. FOREIGNER CONCERT, 8 p.m., Event Center, Harrah’s Cherokee Resort. The band Foreigner will perform in concert. Foreigner is a BritishAmerican rock band, originally formed in New York City in 1976 by veteran English musician and ex–Spooky Tooth member Mick Jones, and fellow Briton and ex–King Crimson member Ian McDonald along with American vocalist Lou Gramm. Among the band’s many hits are “I Want To Know What Love Is,” “Cold As Ice” and “Juke Box Hero.” For tickets, visit Ticketmaster.com, visit the TWA box office or call the box office at (800) 745-3000.
Saturday, March 16
COMEDY CLASSIC, 7:30 p.m., Grand Ballroom, Omni Resorts The Grove Park Inn, North Asheville. Comedy Classic, a one-night event, will feature Keith Alberstadt, Zoltan Kaszas and emcee Kristin Lindner. For tickets, call (800) 438-5800.
Saturday, April 13
FLEETWOOD MAC TRIBUTE SHOW, 7:30 p.m., The Foundation Performing Arts Center, Isothermal Community College, Spindale. Rumours, billed as “the country’s premier Fleetwood Mac tribute band,” will perform in concert. The band is touted for its blend of “perfect harmonies, precise instrumentation and a visually engaging stage show.” For tickets, vcisit www.FoundationShows.org.
Southern Belles
Continued from Page B1 “It is neither harmless nor charming to watch white female teenagers flaunt the values of the Old South,” Mills wrote. “We have had and continue to have our struggles with racism in Asheville. We do not need the help of virginal peeps to point out the insanity.” Conversely, an official with the Dogwood Trail Court, contacted by Boyle, expressed sharp disagreement with Mills’ assessment. JoAnn Broadus, executive director of the Eastern Shore Optimist Club, which sponsors the girls in the Dogwood Trail Court, told Boyles that “it has nothing to do with the Confederacy,” adding that “this is about instilling goals, and the development of young women in the 21st century.” She noted that the court members are from Baldwin County, Ala., and that the court was celebrating its 59th anniversary in 2018. Broadus told Boyle that the young women are high achievers — and all attend high school. Amix of sophomores, juniors and seniors, they are selected though a pageant and scholarship program, she noted. They serve a one-year term “and make appearances as goodwill ambassadors at community events across Baldwin County the state of Alabama and beyond,” Boyle reported, quoting from the group’s literature. Boyle also reported, “A retired college professor of nursing, Broadus, 81, has been in charge of the Dogwood Trail Court program for more than two decades. After spending nearly an hour on the phone with her, I can tell you she is no shrinking violet and never would expect her girls to assume a subservient position to a man. “‘If you know me, you know I’m definitely not an 1865 woman,” Broadus told Boyle. “I believe in getting them equal pay, equal opportunities.’” Broadus also also told Boyle several times: “Make sure your readers know this has nothing to do with the Confederacy.”
Christmas show
Continued from Page B1 Besides the skilled performances of the many singers and dancers, a show highlight was Scott Treadway’s masterful performance as master of ceremonies. Treadway, an FRP actor, has been a long-time crowd favorite at Flat Rock. As emcee, he mixed biting humor with a sincere appreciation for the season, stressing its theme of peace and kindness. In speaking of his love for the area’s mountains, along with his close friends at the Playhouse, Treadway even sang one solo, “That’s the Holidays to Me,” and his sincerity and dynamism triggered warm applause from the audience. Later in the show, Treadway — memorably — quipped that the Flat Rock Playhouse Chorus, many of whom appear to be well into their 60s, was performing
Asheville Daily Planet - January 2019 - B7
superbly — “and we’d like to thank the Henderson County Department of Corrections” for releasing them for the show.” At that, the audience roared with laughter at Treadway’s joke — and the chorus members smiled at his good-natured ribbing. In promoting the show, the FRP stated, “Featured performers are an all-star cast from all over the USA, Studio 52 students, The Flat Rock Playhouse Chorus, dancers from Pat’s School of Dance and children choirs from the surrounding four counties. “The adult ensemble will include Scott Treadway, Jason Watson, Kathleen Watson, Maddie Franke, Travis Battle, Emily Fallon, Jose Luaces, Katelyn Ledbetter, Gabriel Navarro, Claire Griffin, Ben Hope, Katie Hope-Barton, and Ryan Guerra. Flat Rock Playhouse favorites Scott Treadway, Maddie Franke, Emily Fallon, Claire Grif-
fin, Ben Hope, Katie Hope-Barton, Ryan Guerra and Jason Watson will bring their individual talents from dance to opera to violin to this year’s production. “The student ensemble includes Joseph Sherer, Wyatt Schnitzer, A.J. Hernandez, Kya Bielecki, Jasmine Hyatt, Kyra Hewitt, Ava Treadway, Jacey Bergman, Kaia Pelz, Ivy Rose Voloshin, and Sarah Orr.” “A Flat Rock Playhouse Christmas” was conceived by Matthew Glover, who also nimbly directed and choreographed it. Alex Shields served as the music director; Diane David, chorus coordinator;and Maddie Franke, dance captain. Adam Goodrum served as production manager. In addition, C.J. Barnwell and Rebecca Conway served as lighting and costume design, respectively. Zeinab Caskey served as stage manager and Cassidy Bowles designed the props.
Flat Rock Playhouse’s 2019 lineup unveiled
From Staff Reports
FLAT ROCK — The Flat Rock Playhouse recently announced its upcoming season of shows during its 2019 Season Reveal event, which drew more than 120 people. Lisa K. Bryant, Scott Treadway, Paige Posey and Mark Warwick — accompanied by Nat Zegree on piano — unveiled the lineup, which is heavy on country, comedy, proven past box office successes, and animals. Among the popular family-friendly fare are shows like “All Shook Up” and “Jungle Book.” Shorts bits from many of the shows were read by Bryant, the theater’s producing artistic director; Posey, the Playhouse president; and actors Treadway and Warwick. “Kate Barton-Hope, currently performing in the sensational ‘Pickin’ and a’Grinnin’’’ show, lit up the stage with a cover of Patsy Cline’s ‘Crazy,’” the Hendersonville Lightning reported. “Bryant touted the new comfortable seats that will be ready in time for the season’s first show. Zegree provided backup piano and comic relief,” the Lightning noted. The 2017 shows are as follows: • “The Music of the Beatles and the Eagles,” Feb. 14-17. A Valentine’s Day weekend opener features two of the most popular acts from the ‘60s through the ‘80s. • “The Jungle Book,” March 15-30. Rudyard Kipling’s journey of adventure tests friendship and loyalty. • “Sylvia!” April 5-20. Man vs. wife, with a dog in between. • “From Mozart to Pop Charts,” April 25-28. An excuse to showcase the hyperkinetic Zegree, it’s gotta be good. • “Country Loyalty,” May 2-12. The Playhouse continues to demonstrate that it “can flat-out put on country,” the Lightning noted. “This one features Hank Williams and Patsy Cline, two big stars
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Love, ! e v o l t e e w s AND the
Asheville Daily Planet
who flickered out too soon.” • “Proposals,” May 17-June 1. Healing and redemption in a Neil Simon dramedy. • “South Pacific,” June 7-July 6. The Playhouse banks on the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic to fill those new seats in a four-week run. • “Separate Beds,” July 11-20. A playwright named M.J. Cruise discovers his comedy on a cruise in a “heartwarming and hilarious voyage of rediscovery.” • “All Shook Up,” July 26-Aug. 18. “Last staged here 10 years ago, the high-energy Elvis tribute lights up a dreary town.” • “Bee Gees Gold,” Aug. 23-24. Another good box office bet, the tribute salutes the hit-making band. • “Rounding Third,” Aug. 29-Sept. 8. A “bro-medy” has two coaches debating life and drawing laughs, for there’s no crying in baseball. • “Cinematastic,” Sept. 13-28. “What we call Music on the Rock, only supersized,” the musical salutes the silver screen in a song and dance extravaganza. • “Smoke on the Mountain,” Oct. 4-19. Set in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the fall musical with a bluegrass and gospel soundtrack honors faith and family. • “The Turn of the Screw,” Oct. 24-Nov. 2. In time for Halloween, the psychological thriller features a governess, two children and two ghosts. Boo! • “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” Nov. 8-17. C.S. Lewis’s coming-of-age classic is a Studio 52 Family Playhouse show. • “A Flat Rock Playhouse Christmas,” Nov. 29-Dec. 22. A surprise hit with mostly local audiences in 2018, the Playhouse Christmas show will close the 2019 season. The show, which is being touted as “all new each year, but with lots of familiar favorites,” is vying to become a family tradition.
B8 — January 2019 - Asheville Daily Planet